E3 2005 saw the display of three major new consoles, Sony’s Playstation 3, Nintendo’s Revolution (soon to be changed to Wii) and the soon to be released Xbox 360. No one had a perfect show this year– Sony was accused of showing pre-rendered footage rather than in-game graphics, Nintendo showed relatively little, and the Xbox 360’s launch lineup proved a bit spotty. Nonetheless, the PC had a few hits, Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Prey ( a title that was first shown in 1998). Also, Sims-creator Will Wright’s newest creation Spore was first shown, to the amazement of the crowd.

E3 2006 was set against the imminent launches of two new consoles (the Wii and PS3) and the Xbox 360’s most impressive fall lineup yet, including headliner Gears of War. The Wii stole a great deal of attention, with eager show goers waiting in 41/2 hour long lines to try out the new motion controls on titles like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Metroid Prime 3. The PS3 also garnered long lines, despite the surprise announcement that the console would run for $499 (for the 20GB HD) and $599 (for the elite 60GB version). Spore once again took away many “best of show” honors, along with other heavy hitters Mass Effect, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Crysis, Bioshock, and Assassin’s Creed.

The 2007 E3 will be a very different affair – in fact, even the name has been changed to the E3 Media and Business Summit, to reflect a more professional, serious tone. There will be no aging rock stars, wrestlers, or half-naked “booth babes” this year, and maybe, just maybe, this is a good thing for an industry that’s dying to be taken seriously by the rest of the mainstream media. But for those journalists and gamers who have experienced the craziness and energy of past E3’s, the new and neutered version just won’t be the same.